Firebug strategies
Firbugs are an offensive class. Dealing in ambush tactics to kill enemy players, the Firebug can be be of the most versatile classes if mastered. His weapon, the Flamethrower, has many effects and can deal Afterburn, further damaging enemies after disengaging the battle if they are not healed by a Healer. The Flamethrower also allows the player to reveal and alert others to the presence of an enemy Infiltrator by setting him afire while he is cloaked, revealing his/her location. The primary weapon is complimented by the Airblast, which allows players to push enemies around with a blast of air or repel fire from the Rocketman or Detonator if timed correctly. This allows Firebugs to defend as well as attack. On the Offense. ﻿ Generally, running straight into the heat of the battle is not always recommended. Unless your intention was to set the front lines on fire and only living for five seconds, your best bet is to wait behind a wall someplace until some foolish enemy decides to come close. Light him up and then follow them. This will attract attention to your friendlies, telling them to take a shot at your new portable campfire. Combining this with Afterburn and your own Flamethrower's damage, this makes for a deadly combo. If you corner your target, it's pretty much all over for them. If they should retreat back, don't follow them. The Firebug is designed to chase through secured areas, concentrating on one target due to his Flamethrowers short range compared to other weapons. It's better to torch an enemy and lower his health for other players, rather than risking a marathon chasing them back into enemy territory. Remember, enemies who retreat are vulnerable to your flares. Shoot flames and then compression blast to use this invaluble tool. Even though you probably won't kill them, you'll give them something to worry about. Use your Airblast to throw push enemies about, throwing off their aim or even cornering them to their death. This is handy for when dealing with enemies that are behind walls or waiting for you at the gate during setup. Use an Airblast to dislodge them from your door and let your teammates to start the offensive. In some maps, Airblasts can also be used to push them off high areas (somewhat useful unless they are Runners, in which case you'd best be trying to attack normally anyway). When dealing with foes directly, either chase them until they're in a corner, or avoid their attacks and keep up the flames until they're crispy fried. Getting behind an enemy allows you to burn them quite a bit until they have time to turn around and start their attack on you. Torching multiple enemies in groups and then retreating is a great way to start an offensive wave. This allows your friends to move in with full health while the enemies are still trying to put the fire on their pants out. This is a good tactic during a capture point match, as flaming enemies at a point weakens their defensive structure and makes it easier to capture the point in general. It is hard to defend a point when your skin has third degree burns on it. It is recommended that you have a Healer with you or nearby when torching large groups, due to the fact that they'll all try to get rid of you first. Just some things to remember while playing as the Firebug on the offense: *You are a high threat to enemies in groups. While this is good for you, it will also make you high on the list for being the first to kill when they see you. *Keep your finger squeezing that trigger. Chances are, you'll hit a Infiltrator. Alert your friends while keeping the heat on him. *All Firebugs are Afterburnproof. That does not mean they're fireproof, bulletproof, or knifeproof. *Autoguns aren't affected by Afterburn. *Use the Airburst to mess with enemies. *Runners are like firecrackers. Light them, then run away. Don't be tempted to follow them unless they're cornered. They're far too fast for Firebugs to catch, plus they have a ranged weapon. It's best to leave them to other friendlies to take out. *If they're slow enough, chase your enemies down. Just remember which way to give chase. *When you play with fire, expect to get burned. On the Defense Despite their place in the offensive classes, Firebugs can be effective to defending as well. Firebugs can use their Flamethrower to block pathways with their continuous stream of flames. If they position themselves at an angle where enemy attacks can't hit them, they literally create firewalls to ward off enemies. This is effective for temporarily holding off enemies with no Healer to keep you alive. If anyone actually attempts to go through, try to keep the fire on them as they jump through the inferno. Blocking pathways also prevents the advent of cloaked Infiltrators into your base, as they would have to pass through the flames to pass, setting them ablaze and revealing their presence. Unfortunately, most maps are designed so that a permanent firewall cannot be established. There is always a way to position oneself to take a shot at the Firebug. It is best to retreat and regroup if the enemy persists in advancing through. If there are mines blocking an entryway, use your Airblast to dislodge them and clear a safe pathway to proceed through. Use this to clear capture points and in capture the flag rounds. Along with this function, use the Airblast to keep enemies afloat and off balance. Overweights streaming bullets can be pushed into a pit or off a step with the Airblast. Then let your teammates pick him off with their weapons from a distance. Also keep in mind that you can send a Rocketman's rocket back at him with a well timed Airblast. Always remember to Spycheck every once in a while. The deadly fire-minigun combination along with two Healers is an excellent defense. The Firebug weakens the enemy advance, allowing for the Overweight to finish them off. Use this to defend a point or defend an ally while he runs back with the intelligence. Although unwieldly in some cases, this combo is still pretty awesome. Class specific strategies ''Note: Disadvantages refer to the disadvantages firebugs suffer against the class, advantages are the firebug's advantages'' Runners Disadvantages *Speed *Longer weapon range *Mobility Advantages *Runners have low HP Due to their speed and mobility, Runners are best left as pass-by targets. They can be torched when they get close but don't attempt to go into a Flamethrower marathon with the Runner, as his weapon has more range than yours, and his speed allows him to stay out of the flames. Torch him if he comes by once, then leave him for your teammates. It is suggested that you only engage him directly if he has the intelligence or is capturing a point. It will be a moderate challenge, so long as you keep packing the heat on them. And thanks to their low HP, runners who are hit once are already weakened significantly due to Afterburn. Firebugs Disadvantages *Fireproof Advantages *They can't afterburn you Unless one of you ambushes the other, a confrontation is likely to result in who has the fire concentrated on the other longer being the victor. Therefore, ambush tactics such as coming from behind or above are suggested. It's even better if you have a Healer to back you up. Both of you are fireproof, so don't be afraid to finish a fight rather than going to heal yourself. If you are engaged in a chase, be sure to have your Flamethrower pointed at your enemy Firebugs. Since both weapons are short range, you'll be playing chicken for a while until someone strikes. Rocketman Disadvantages *Long ranged weapon *Rocket Jump grants mobility *Weapon has splash damage Advantages *Weapon has two shot limit *Rockets can be avoided easily *Rockets can be Airblasted back at Rocketman Rocketmen are an even match against you. They have their ups and downs as you do, and since rocket splash damage hurts them as well, they might kill themselves if you fight them at close range. They have more HP than you, so ambushing them is recommended. The Rocketman can only fire two rockets at a time, so make sure you attack when he's vulnerable, but also keep in mind that once one Rocket hits, he can fire another at his closest enemy, which will probably be you. His rocket jump will allow him to attack from above, so watch for Rockets from above. He can ambush you this way so if engaging, watch the skies as well as around you. Airblasting rockets back at them will catch them off guard. The splash damage will most likely damage them, if not score a direct hit. Generally, noob Rocketmen kill themselves fairly often. Cornering them with your Flamethrower will make them panic and their aim erratic. Their own Rockets might impact close to them, further damaging themselves and allowing you to kill them with ease. And just remember, rockets fly both ways. Overweight Disadvantages *Large HP pool makes him one long lasting candlestick *Minigun spits out deadly stream of bullets *Manvich heals considerably *Healers tend to stick around these guys. Advantages *Large mass makes a large target *Slow *Slower when firing his minigun *Manvich makes him immobile *Without a Healer, your team can take him out easily *Airblast will send him afloat Overweights are a tricky bunch. Their large size and health makes them intimidating. Their miniguns can spit death out and their Manvich heals them quite a bit. They are arsenals. But they are slow. And that's where skill comes into play when fighting these tanks. Their large size makes for a giant hunk of flammable fat that allows the Flamethrower to burn more, causing more damage. Ambushing from above and then behind is your best bet. If a Healer is preventing you from damaging the Overweight, take him out first. This is only recommended if you have friends to help distract the Overweight from killing you before the Healer is dead. Airblasting one of them to separate the Healer from the Overweight is another tactic. If at any time you attempt to separate these two, have your own medic on standby. Overweights can be Airblasted through walls. If an Overweight is blocking a path using his minigun at an angle, Airblast him and scramble through before he recovers. The Manvich heals him a lot, but he is immobile for that time. Stalk him, and strike when he starts to eat, which allows the Flamethrower to really do some damage before he attacks, if not kill him. Generally though, the best tactic is still to flame and run. If he does notices you, rush him and at the last second, jump and burn him. Keep on jumping and burning and he'll eventually die. Healers Disadvantages *He can heal himself overtime, making the Afterburn less effective. *He is normally supported by another player who can be an actual threat *Even if his supporter dies, he can attack while you're weakened *At close range, his syringes can really hit hard *Afterburn is nullified by his medigun Advantages *Alone, this guy isn't a strong offensive fighter *Syringes have very short range *Healer requires another Healer to use Healing gun on him to recover at a fast rate *Can't attack while healing Healers are a low threat alone. Give them a strong teammate, and the pair becomes a high threat. Healers put out your flames, nullifying the Afterburn effect. They have a good chance of killing you after you fight their supporting teammate, as you will be most likely weakened by the confrontation. He will close in with his Syringes, which can be a threat is he is able to stay out of Flamethrower range and keep hitting you. Try to kill or separate him from his supporter before you take heavy damage and finish him off. Always take on Healer + Heavy pairs with a teammate or a group. Take them on alone and you have a pretty easy kill. But never underestimate a Healer. Masters of the class can fight fairly well using only Syringes and a healing factor. Overall, Healers shouldn't give you that much trouble though. Detonators Disadvantages *Mines can be deadly if clumped together *Weapon has splash damage *Detonation from mines can be done from a distance *Mine launchers can be used as a propulsion system of sorts *Explosions push you back *Mines can prevent team from advancing or capturing a point Advantages *Mines can be dodged *Mines can be Airblasted to clear pathways *Detonators are designed for indirect combat and trap setting The Detonators are the trap setters and will not usually engage directly with you in combat. Their mines are powerful weapons and will do a significant amount of damage to you if you fall into a group of them. Luckily, this can easily be countered by using the Airblast. The Airblast will dislodge any potentially deadly mines and will allow you to clear out areas for your team to advance through. It is not recommended to take the Detonator on a fire run, as his weapon will allow him to spit out mines, preventing your advance to get in range with your Flamethrower. As with almost all classes that have ranged weapons, ambush tactics are recommended when dealing with Detonators. Ambushing will usually result in a kill or a successful mine clearing, as they probably have already planted down 8 mines, forcing them to detonate 1 or all mines to engage you in combat. Once you kill the Detonator, use your Airblast to dislodge any remaining mines. Constructor Disadvantages *Weapon is ranged *Weapon is well rounded *Autoguns *Autoguns don't burn Advantages *Weapon is weaker than most weapons *Autoguns need time to set up *Alone, this guy is begging to get burned *Needs Nuts 'n' Bolts to build things Constructors normally hang back to protect the Intelligence or defend captured points. And they're almost never alone. Autoguns are almost always near a Constructor, watching and waiting for some fool to come by and get riddled with holes. To someone with a short range weapon, these things are unholy terrors. It is never recommended to take on an Autogun alone from a side angle. The Autoguns will just cut you down before you can get close enough. Even if you have a Healer behind you, you will still take heavy damage. To make things worse, teams of Constructors might set up multiple Autoguns, allowing them to cover multiple angles to defend. However, alone, Constructors are practically helpless against a Firebug. Their shotguns aren't as strong as a Runners and their lack of velocity limits their range when fighting. Take advantage of the time lapse between a newborn and fully built Autogun to destroy it before it finishes setting up. Your worst fear is the Autogun, so just steer clear of it and you should be fine. Infiltrator Disadvantages *Cloak is infinite *Cloak makes it difficult to find the Infiltrator without the use of a Flamethrower *Heavy Caliber Revolver weapon has a far range and does a considerable amount of damage *Knife is one hit kill *Passive invisibility allows them to fire while cloaked and ambush you Advantages *Cloaks are flammable *Knife takes time to deliver death blow, temporarily revealing Infiltrator *Cloaks hide the Infiltrator, not their noise (they can be heard if they jump) Infiltrators are one of the oldest problems of the Earth. How can you hit what you can't see? Simple. Light them up and follow the flames. Infiltrators are a strong class. Designed for espionage and silent killing, they can easily kill any player if the have learned how to use the class properly. Armed with a Revolver that allows them to deal strong hits from a distance, they are not to ever be underestimated. They are also equipped with the deadly knife, which always results in a one hit instant kill. Cloaking allows them to get behind enemy lines and start killing everybody without attracting unwanted attention. However, there are ways to take out this invisible adversary. First of all, always keep your flames blasting in all directions, This will most increase your chances of revealing an enemy Infiltrator if he is cloaked. Second, always check behind you. Passive invisibility allows them to become invisible when behind you and start an attack with their gun. Third, always alert your teammates about the presence of an enemy Infiltrator. This puts everyone on high alert and the Infiltrator will have a difficult time to escape or proceed with his plan. Rifleman Disadvantages *Long ranged weapon that will cut your life in half *Their scope allows for sniping *Your weapon requires close range combat *The flare requires quite a lot of ammo Advantages *Your Airblast will dislodge them from their nests if aimed correctly *Their weapon requires time to fire again *Keep moving, and it will be 50% harder to hit you *When scoped, there is a chance they will not be able to see behind them *You have a suprisingly accurate long-range weapon At a distance, Riflemen will be a nuisance. Their rifles hit long range, and this puts you at a big disadvantage. You will have to get close to fight them. This will require getting behind enemy lines and reaching their positions from behind, or Airblasting them to dislodge them from wherever they're hiding if possible. Even when not in a hiding position, the can still fire from a distance. A narrow hallway gives them a free firing range to snipe anyone coming down the pathway. All in all, it's generally a bad idea to try and take on one of these guys, unless you know how to compression flares. Leave them to an allied Rifleman to take out. If you must engage one, try to engage up close. Hit them hard and hit them fast. =Links= Burning through hours as a Firebug/Pyro by JMP Burning Passion: A Firebug Guide by Psychopath How to be effective with the Firebug by Dokurider Category:Strategy guides